June 2 - The Fall

In a split second, from vertical to horizontal, I fell.  It was over in a second.  One minute I was walking along.  The next minute I was lying face down on the wet grass.  It was not my best moment!  Perversely, my first thought was that I hoped the neighbours weren’t watching me from their kitchen window.  My second thought was that I ached all over.  My third thought, and this likely should have been my first, was that I hoped no bones were broken.  I had definitely jarred every bone in my body and would likely be bruised, but that was all.

Lyle and I were loading our car, getting ready for the trip to Sydney.  I was helping.  The ten or so steps from the back door to the car were ones I had taken many times in the four weeks we have been here.  This time I was not using my cane, I was thinking of other things, and I tripped over a post in the yard that has been there ever since our arrival.  Tripping over objects we cannot see is a challenge for many people with little or no sight.  I think that many of my friends who are blind or partially sighted have experienced at least one fall.  Thinking back over the past months, I have spoken with two friends who have suffered broken bones because of a trip and subsequent fall.

As for me, I have tripped and fallen several times over the past years but fortunately these falls have never resulted in a broken bone.  They have all occurred when I have been in a hurry and either not using my cane or using it but without proper care and attention.  Falling is a definite reminder to myself to slow down and use my head as well as my cane!

Today I am sore but I have basically recovered from yesterday’s incident. This could have been a disastrous way to start a long plane ride home.  There is no picture to accompany this post.  Lyle was not quick enough to grab the camera before he helped me up from the ground.